Delamination growth in polymer-matrix fibre composites and the use of fracture mechanics data for material characterisation and life prediction

The growth of delaminations in polymer-matrix fibre composites under cyclic-fatigue loading in operational aircraft structures has always been a very important factor which has the potential to significantly affect the service-life of such structures. The recent introduction by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of a ‘slow growth’ approach to the certification of composites has further focused attention on the experimental data and the...